Sandwich wrapper and method of wrapping

ABSTRACT

A sandwich wrapper is formed from a substantially rectangular sheet by providing a plurality of overlapping folds which are positioned into a substantially pleated arrangement. Two substantially parallel lines of adhesive, glue, or adhesive tape are used to attach spaced apart zones of the folded areas to each other. The dimensions of the sheet with respect to an article to be wrapped, spacing between the adhesive lines, and dimensions of the fold can be calculated to provide an efficient and cost-effective food wrapper.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to the packaging of convexshaped articles, and more particularly to packaging for a variety ofsandwiches, and specifically hamburger-type sandwiches.

2. Description of Background and Relevant Information

Presently, in France, a large number of fast food establishments havebeen developed. The development of these types of establishments hasresulted in the replacement of conventional French and similarrestaurants; these new restaurants direct their efforts to developingmeals which include a round bun, cut at its center, parallel to itsbase, and filled with ground meat, which sandwiches are commonly knownas hamburgers.

Conventional hamburger sandwiches comprise a plurality of successivelypiled layers of round ground beef patties, bread slices, sauce, tomatoslices, and lettuce or other green vegetable slices, all of which areframed, both above and below, by two halves of a hamburger bun.

The hamburger sandwiches are prepared and are thereafter packaged,either in thin, resistant paper, or in an expanded polystyrene box. Thepaper wrapping is adapted to be used for small hamburger sandwiches, andis similar to the wrapping used on round pieces of cheese; it isgenerally more practical to remove the hamburger sandwich from itswrapping so that a consumer is able to eat it.

The expanded polystyrene box type of container is adapted to containlarger hamburger sandwiches, and it is imperative that the hamburger beremoved from such box so that it can be eaten. One major disadvantage ofa hamburger sandwich is that the meat, the vegetables, and the saucewhich comprise the sandwich together form a mass which is substantialrelative to the mass of the bread. As a result, the act of biting intothe sandwich causes the garnish layers to slide with respect to eachother, such that the hand of the user which holds the sandwichinevitably contacts the sauces and/or juices from the meat, all of whichcreates a tendency for these materials to drip and stain the ties andclothing if a consumer is not careful, particularly since they do notremain in the container when eaten.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providepackages for hamburgers and similar sandwiches which are adapted toovercome the above-identified problems and to minimize the discomfort ofa user which result from contact of undesirable juices and food with theclothing of a user.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a wrapper is adapted to bepositioned about a solid article having a convex shape. The article hasa central axis passing through the geometric center of the solid,wherein there are two intersecting planes which extend through thearticle, which include the axis. The wrapper comprises a thin, flexiblesubstantially rectangular sheet having a predetermined width and apredetermined length, determined by particular equations, with respectto the dimensions of the object to be wrapped, set forth hereinafter,the sheet being folded into a plurality of folds which are substantiallyparallel to the width (substantially parallel to the length), whereinadjacent folds are positioned on top of each other and are adhesivelyattached to each other along two narrow strip areas located adjacent twoside edges of the sheets.

The folds can be glued to each other, soldered to each other by a heatsensitive adhesive, or elsewhere attached to each other by adhesive tapeattached to the sheet along the two strip areas.

The folds are positioned over each other in a lengthwise, staggeredmanner in a pleated fashion, with the folds comprising first and secondsets of alternating width fold sections located along the sheet, whereineach of the fold sections in the first set of fold sections has a largerwidth than each of the fold sections in the second set of fold sections.

The dimension and number of folds as well as the length of the folded,i.e., plated wrapper, are also determined by particular equations setforth hereinafter, and are also dependent upon the dimensions of thearticle to be wrapped.

Narrow strips comprise substantially parallel selvage area, with thedistance between selvage areas being equal to a value dependent upon thelength of the wrapper and dimensions of the article to be wrapped, asset forth hereinafter.

The sheet can include, e.g., an additional strip between each of theselvage areas and a side edge of the sheet, with each additional striphaving a width defined by the equation dependent upon the wrapper andthe article to be wrapped, as set forth hereinafter. The additionalstrip can include a plurality of triangular recesses and triangularsections, wherein the width is measured to the peak of each of thesections, and the sheet can include a plurality of rounded corners.

Each of the folded areas are substantially equal, each folded areahaving a section of larger width and a section of a smaller width, thewrapper being adapted to cover a solid article in the form of a solidcylinder of revolution having a predetermined diameter and height,wherein the sheet width and length can be determined by particularequations with respect to the dimensions of the article to be wrapped,as will be set forth hereinafter.

Each of the strips has a width which is less than 5% of the sheet width,and the folds can be attached to each other by thermally-activated glueattached to the sheet prior to formation of the folds. Alternately, thefolds can be attached to each other by heat and pressure when the foldsare formed.

The sheet has a front surface and a rear surface, wherein the attachmentstrips can be located along both of the surfaces. The wrapper can beformed from a material which, when subjected to heat and pressure, willattach the folds to each other along both of the strips.

If desired, the folds can be attached to each other only along thestrips.

The wrapper may comprise a thin paper sheet, wherein the folded areasare attached to each other by a plastic film along the strips, or thesheet can comprise a thin, flexible plastic film; the film can be asingle film sheet, or a plurality of laminated sheets.

A plurality of the sheets can be provided in the form of a continuousroll of the material, the roll having a predetermined width, wherein theattachment strips are separated from each other by alternatingdistances, respectively. Each sheet includes a plurality of folds and anon-folded portion, the non-folded portion comprising means forfacilitating separation of adjacent sheets from the roll.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of wrappinga sandwich with a substantially rectangular wrapper having apredetermined length, a predetermined width, and a plurality of foldedportions arranged substantially parallel to the width and overlappingeach other in a pleated fashion, with the portions being adhered to eachother along substantially folded parallel, spaced adhesive stripsperpendicularly arranged with respect to the folded areas. The methodcomprises placing a first end of the wrapper into abutment with aperipheral portion of the sandwich, with the folded areas beingsubstantially vertical, pulling an opposed second end of the wrapperabout the sandwich, wherein the areas of the wrapper between the stripsand side edges of the wrapper will form generally circular areas on thetop and bottom of the sandwich as the pleats are unfolded, and attachingthe first and second wrapper ends to each other.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a sandwich wrapper is formedfrom a thin, substantially rectangular sheet having opposed first andsecond ends and opposed first and second sides, the sheet comprising aplurality of overlapping folds arranged in a pleated fashion, the foldsextending generally parallel to the edges and being separably attachedto each other by substantially narrow adhesive areas arranged parallelto each other and to the sides, and perpendicularly with respect to thefolds.

Each of the strips is spaced away from a respective one of the sides byan edge area of a predetermined distance.

Each of the folds comprises a first, relatively wide section of a firstwidth and a, relatively narrow section of a second width, and all of thecorners of the sheet can be rounded. Each of the edge areas can beprovided to have a constant width.

A plurality of spaced triangular portions can be positioned adjacent thesheet sides, which portions will be adapted to overlap each other whenthe wrapper is wrapped about a food article.

The adhesive areas can extend along only a portion of the sheet sides.The wrapper is to be wrapped about a substantially cylindrical hamburgersandwich having a predetermined height and diameter, and the sheet has apredetermined width and a predetermined length, taking into account asandwich-covering coefficient which will be set forth hereinafter. Eachof the folds includes a relatively wide section and a relatively narrowsection, defined by a predetermined relationship, and the length of thesheet, when folded, is also defined by a predetermined relationship,such relationships set forth hereinafter. The distance between theadhesive areas is likewise defined by a particular relationship also setforth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will now be described more specifically with reference to theattached drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting exampleonly, wherein like reference numerals are used to identify similar partsthroughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet formed in accordance with the presentinvention which comprises a wrapping prior to folding, includingcross-hatching in zones 16 and 17, where adhesive is placed forattaching a plurality of folded areas to each other;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sheet of FIG. 1 after it has been foldedand after which folded areas are attached to each other by bands 13 and14;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first phase or stage of wrapping ahamburger sandwich with the folded wrapper of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a subsequent stage of folding thewrapper of FIG. 2 about a hamburger sandwich;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a final stage in which the wrapper ofFIGS. 2-4 has been wrapped about a hamburger sandwich;

FIG. 6 is a detailed plan view of the sheet prior to being folded,illustrating, in dashed lines, the future locations of folds indicatedby a set 42 of reference letters a-f;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the wrapper after it has beenfolded, illustrating the manner in which the folds of the folded sheetare positioned with respect to each other;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the wrapper of FIG. 6 after a plurality offolds have been formed;

FIG. 9 is a cutaway plan view of a second embodiment of a wrapper formedin accordance with the present invention, in which a plurality ofrecessed or cutaway zones 31, each having a predetermined width C, areprovided, which wrapper is adapted to reduce the amount of wrinkles onthe wrapping paper within a circle 27 when the wrapper is positionedabout a food article to be protected;

FIG. 10 is a partial or cutaway plan view of a wrapper having a cutoutor recessed area adjacent to a strip of adhesive film; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a substantially convex object which isadapted to be covered by a wrapper in accordance with another embodimentof the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sandwich wrappingwhich is adapted, on one hand, to be positioned about a hamburgersandwich in a relatively simple manner, and on the other hand, which iscapable of protecting a hamburger sandwich during transport of thesandwich, and to protect, during consumption of the sandwich, a consumeragainst drips and stains which otherwise would result, i.e., it willserve as a receptacle during consumption. Thereafter, when a consumerhas finished eating his hamburger, it is only necessary to crumple thewrapping paper into a ball and to throw it into the first garbagereceptacle which is available.

Additionally, the wrapping can be mass-produced in large quantities in acontinuous fashion; it is further advantageous that the present wrapperuses a smaller quantity of material than that used in conventionalwrappers, and puts this lesser amount of material to better use.Finally, a wrapper in accordance with the present invention can bestored in a flat fashion so that it efficiently fills cartons andcomprises an efficient load for pallets.

The combination of all of these advantages results in a product whichhas an extremely attractive performance-to-price ratio.

The present wrapping is adapted to wrap a hamburger sandwich, whichsandwich is best illustrated in FIG. 3. The sandwich is substantiallycylindrical and has a diameter D (or 4) and a height H (or 5), as bestseen in FIG. 3.

The main parameters and characteristics of the wrapping will now bedescribed. The wrapping preferably comprises a sheet of paper 6, assheen in FIG. 1, which is thin and flexible, and which has a weight ofapproximately 20-30 g/M₂. The paper has good tear-resistance via itsincorporation of relatively long fibers, and can possibly even be coatedwith polyethylene to increase this desirable resistance. It is alsoclear that the use of a relatively simple or complex plastic film iscontemplated as being within the scope of the invention, rather thanpaper.

As seen in FIG. 1, the sheet is substantially rectangular and has awidth 7 (or K), which width is selected in accordance with the equationK=D+H±5%. The length of the sheet is represented by L, where L isdetermined in accordance with the equation L=3.14D(1+alpha), where alphais the optimum covering coefficient, which is between 0.2 and 0.6. Inother words, the length of the wrapper L is calculated in accordancewith the circumference of the hamburger (πD) multiplied by the number oftimes that the wrapper is to surround the hamburger (either partially orcompletely).

The sheet is then provided with a plurality of accordion folds 9, asbest seen in FIG. 7. The accordion folds are dissymetric and arepositioned parallel to the width 7 of the sheet. Between the successivefolded or pleated areas, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, alternatingdistances are provided; as shown in FIG. 7, a first set of distances 11,between fold lines in a relatively short series of folds on the paper isprovided with each equal to the distance B in FIG. 6; and there is alsoa second set of distances 10 between some of the adjacent fold lines,which distances are each equivalent to A, which is the distance betweenthe farther spaced apart fold lines on the wrapper in FIG. 6. As seen inthe drawings, the distance B is less than the distance A. The value ofthe distance A is selected as a function of the hamburger sandwich to bewrapped, such that A is selected to be between D/4 and D/10. By soselecting the larger distance A, the wrapper will not have foldingdimensions which are either too large or too small, which too large ortoo small dimensions would otherwise interfere with proper operation ofthe wrapper when it is used. The distances B, between the more closelyspaced fold lines, is between 5/6 and 1/3 of the distance A.

Once folding has been performed, a rectangular folded wrapper is formed,as seen in FIG. 2, which still has the original width 7 with a value Kas in the starting, unfolded sheet or wrapper of FIG. 1, and which alsohas a length with a value which has been substantially reduced. Inessence, each completed fold comprises a portion of the folded wrapperwhich includes a strip of width A and a strip of width B. In thismanner, the number of folds N which can be formed in the sheet isdetermined by the following equation: N=the largest whole numberdetermined by the calculation L/(A+B), if all of the folds are formed ofequal length. Obviously, there will be an additional amount of materialwhich will remain and which will not form one of the folds N if thetotal length L of the unfolded wrapper is greater by some amount than anumerical factor multiplied by (A+B).

The new length 12 of the folded wrapper is represented by the value L',which is determined by the following equation: L'=N(A-B)+B. As clearlyseen in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, the amount (A-B) corresponds to the path orextent 28 of each fold. In practice, the distance L' will be slightlylarger than as calculated by the above formula because, in order tofacilitate cutting between two wrappers, a small zone having no folds isleft between each set of N folds. The folded areas are then attached toeach other along two narrow, substantially parallel strips 13 and 14, asseen in FIG. 2, which strips are positioned symmetrically along bothsides of the axis of symmetry 15 of the wrapper which is locatedperpendicular to the folds, again as seen in FIG. 2.

Gluing of the folds can be achieved in various fashions.

It is possible to coat the wrapping paper prior to folding with strips16 and 17 (see FIG. 1) of a product which will adhere to the wrappersurface under contact and pressure, under either hot or coldtemperatures. For example, a cold adhesive can be used which willattach/adhere the folds to each other as soon as the folds are foldedback on each other and pressure is applied to them.

After folding, it is possible to glue the folds, via hot pressing, byusing a thermally activatable strip which has been previously positionedon the wrapping paper. From experience, it is preferable to deposit astrip of such glue on each side of the unfolded wrapper or sheet 6 sothat the folds will be glued to each other along both sides of the fold.

It is also possible to deposit a strip of adhesive film, after folding,to hold the folds together. As in the above embodiments, better grip andadhesion between the folds will be obtained if the adhesive is placed onboth sides of the wrapper.

For proper operation of the wrapper, the width of each attachment band13 or 14 which attaches the folds to each other must be less than 5% ofthe width K of the wrapper. In this fashion, a zone 18 having a width Mis formed between the inner boundaries or selvage areas of each of theattachment strips 13 and 14, as best shown in FIG. 1. This zone islocated between the attachment strips and is free to be unfolded whenthe wrapper is eventually wrapped about a hamburger sandwich. Thewrapper thus obtained is used in a fashion as described hereinafter, asfirst illustrated with reference to FIG. 3.

In use, first end portion 20 of the wrapper is applied on or positionedin abutment with a cylindrical peripheral portion of the hamburgersandwich such that the folds will be located parallel to axis 19 of thecylindrical sandwich. The median portion 15 of the wrapper, which islocated perpendicular to each of the folds, is located substantially inthe middle of the height H (or 5) of the cylindrical sandwich. Thehamburger is preferably held between the thumb and the middle finger ofthe left hand of a consumer so that the index finger of the consumerwill be free to retain end portion 20 of the wrapper against thehamburger. The free or second end portion 21 of the wrapper, adjacentmedian portion 15 of the wrapper, is then grabbed and the consumer pulls(as seen in FIG. 4) the wrapper in a fashion so as to undo the folds ina "rolling" fashion. When the wrapper is so unfolded, edge portions 22naturally tend to move together, folding over the upper and lowercircular surfaces 23 and 24 of the sandwich. The upper strip 13, whichserves to attach the folds together, thus defines a circle 27 (see FIG.5), the position of which depends upon the distance between attachmentstrip 13 and attachment strip 14.

For the wrapper to be unfolded properly, the distance 18, represented byM, which represents the width between the internal selvage portions 25and 26 of attachment strips 13 and 14 (see FIG. 2) is preferably of aparticular dimension which is calculated as follows:

    M=(2B×D)/(A+B)+H±5%

It has been observed that if M is too small a value, it will bedifficult to unfold the folds from the pleated wrapper, and if M is toolarge, the wrapper will form a conical area over the circular surfacesof the hamburger sandwich, which conical area is difficult to flattenout.

All that portion of the paper wrapped situated along both sides of theinterior selvage of the attachment strips is positioned so as to form acircle 27 defined by the selvage 25. If left unattended, folding of thissection will have wrinkles which can, however, be attenuated byproviding a plurality of cutouts 29 (see FIG. 9) in a manner so as toeliminate excess paper. These cutouts are formed in one embodiment, in atriangular configuration. Additionally, better coverage of the sandwichcan be provided by rounding the wrapper corners 32.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, a wrapper is provided whichbegins with a sheet having a width K', or 30 as seen in FIG. 10. WidthK' is defined here as being equal to the value M, increased by the widthof each of the attachment strips along the folded areas. Thereafter, thesheet is folded as in the first embodiment, and a non-folded stripportion 34 having a width 31 defined by C=1/2 (D+H-M), which is used toattach the folds and which is located rightwardly of the attachmentstrip, comprises a plurality of triangular cutouts. The triangularcutouts make it possible, during positioning of the wrapper around ahamburger, to fill a circle 27 defined by the internal selvages 25 and26 of the attachment strips, with the triangular portions 34 overlappingone another in a scale-like or roof-tile fashion.

It has further been found that, if B is selected to be less than orequal to A/2, the embodiment of FIG. 10 is an appropriate solution forwrapping a hamburger. However, if B is greater than A/2 but less than2A/3, it is preferable to form the triangular cutouts during the foldingprocess. Finally, if B is greater than or equal to 2A/3 and less than orequal to 5A/6, it is possible to use the wrapper without formingtriangular cutouts during folding; in this case, adhesive ribbons arepreferably not utilized to attach the folds, because the contactsurfaces between the adhesive ribbon and the triangular cutouts wouldprovide an adhesive contact area which would become unduly weak.

The manufacture of the wrapper is effected from a roll of paper or thinplastic film having a substantial width. In one example, thermallyactivatable glue strips are continuously positioned along the roll ofthin plastic film or paper in the direction of movement of the sheetfrom the roll; these strips will alternately be spaced from each otherby distances M and K-M, respectively. Folding is effect in aperpendicular fashion with respect to the direction of movement of thesheet. The cutting of strips of width K occurs just prior to folding,and gluing of the folds occurs during hot pressing which occurs afterfolding. Finally, the machine provides a non-folded strip along every Nfolds, and it is in the zone of the non-folded portion of the wrapperthat the wrapper is cut, thereby defining a folded wrapper having alength L'.

The above embodiments have been directed to a wrapper which is adaptedto assume a cylindrical shape when it is wrapped about a cylindricalarticle. The same wrapper can, however, be perfectly adapted to anyconvex configuration 35, as shown in FIG. 11; specifically, it isadapted to conform to the shape of any convex article between acylindrical and a spherical shape, including, e.g., ovoidal andellipsoidal configurations. The characteristics of such a wrapper aredefined with respect to the direction at which first end 20 of thewrapper is positioned. An axis 37 is defined, as shown in FIG. 11, whichwill be parallel to the folds of the wrapper and which will pass throughthe isobar center (when used herein, isobar center refers to thegeometric center of a solid article) 36 of the shaped article. Thesurface of the convexly shaped article will intersect with a plane 39which passes through axis 37; this intersection will form a closed curve38 having a length P. A plane 40 passes through the isobar center 36perpendicular to axis 37, cutting the surface of the convexly shapedarticle 35 along a closed curve 41 having a length R.

With these parameters, the dimensions of the wrapper are preferablycalculated in accordance with the following formulae:

K=P/2±5%; L=R(1+alpha), where 0.2<alpha<0.6, R/31.4<A<R/12.6, andA/3<B<5A/6; where N=(the whole number portion of L/(A+B)), withL'=N(A-B)+B; M=P/2-L'/3.14(1+alpha)±5%, and where C=P/4-M/2.

Finally, it is possible in any of these wrappers to have foldinterruptions or folds of variable dimensions. Under these conditions,assuming that the folds are identified by a series 1,2, . . . , i . . ., N, where each fold "i" is characterized by Ai and Bi, the formulasnoted directly above become:

    R/31.4<Ai<R/12.6

and

    Ai/3<Bi<5Ai/6.

where Ai and Bi will assume random values within their respective rangesof variation.

In this case, N is defined such that ##EQU1##

Under these conditions an approach value of L' can be defined which issufficiently precise such that the determination of other parameters,i.e., M and C, can be calculated in accordance with the formulasdescribed above, i.e., L' is defined by ##EQU2##

The present application has proposed securing the folds by means of athermally activatable glue, which has previously been disposed orpositioned along the wrapping sheet. Instead, a component on the sheetitself could be used to attach the folds to each other by hot pressingthe folds between two thermal electrodes, or other equivalent systemscould be used to form strips 13 or 14 of desired widths. This techniquecan be used whenever the structure comprises, along its exteriorsurface, a plastic film such as polyethylene, and under such conditions,the folds will be heat-soldered.

Although the present invention has been described with respect tospecific means, materials, and embodiments, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed,and extends to all equivalents which are within the scope of the claimshereinafter.

What is claimed is: .[.1. A wrapper adapted to be positioned about andwrap a solid article having a convex shape, said article having acentral axis passing through the geometric center of said solid, whereintwo intersecting planes extend through said article and include saidaxis, wherein said wrapper comprises a thin, flexible substantiallyrectangular sheet having a predetermined width and a predeterminedlength, said sheet comprising two lengthwise-extending opposing sideedges and first and second opposing ends, said sheet further beingfolded into a plurality of folds which extend substantially parallel tosaid width, wherein adjacent folds are positioned on top of and overlapeach other in a lengthwise, staggered manner and are adhesively attachedto each other along two lengthwise-extending narrow strip areas located,respectively, proximate said two side edges of said sheet, said wrapper,including said strip areas, being dimensioned and configured relative tosaid article such that upon holding one of said ends of said wrapperagainst said article and pulling the opposite one of said ends of saidwrapper about the periphery of said article, said plurality of foldsbetween said strip areas at least partially unfold to allow said wrapperto encompass the periphery of said article, whereas portions of saidwrapper adjacent said strip areas and said side edges tend to movetogether, respectively, to cause said portions to fold over and undersaid article to substantially enclose said article..].
 2. A wrapper inaccordance with claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37.Iaddend., wherein said folds areglued to each other.
 3. A wrapper in accordance with claim .[.1.]..Iadd.37.Iaddend., wherein said folds are soldered to each other by aheat sensitive adhesive.
 4. A wrapper in accordance with claim .[.1.]..Iadd.37.Iaddend., wherein said folds are attached to each other byadhesive tape attached to the sheet along said two strip areas. .[.5. Awrapper in accordance with claim 1 wherein said folds are positionedover each other in a pleated fashion, said folds comprising first andsecond sets of alternating width sections located along said sheet,wherein each of the fold sections in the first set of fold sections hasa larger width than each of the fold sections in the second set of foldsections, thus producing a staggered array..]. .[.6. A wrapper inaccordance with claim 5, wherein said narrow strip areas comprisesubstantially parallel selvage areas, with the distance (M) between saidselvage areas being equal to M=P/2-L/3.14(1+alpha)±5%, wherein P isdefined as the length of the closed curve formed by the intersection ofa first one of said planes and one arcuate surface of said article, andwherein M is the distance between the strip areas and wherein said sheetlength (L) is defined by the equation L=R(1+alpha), wherein0.2<alpha<0.6, wherein R is defined as the length of a closed curveformed by the intersection of a second of said planes and a secondarcuate surface of said article, said second plane substantiallyperpendicular to said first plane, and wherein there are a plurality (N)of folds (i), with each fold section in the first set having a width Ai,and each fold section in the second set having a width Bi, whereinR/31.4<Ai<R/12.6,Ai/3<Bi<5Ai/6, with the total number of folds (i) onsaid sheet being N, wherein ##EQU3## with the length of said sheet, whenunfolded, being L, and its length when folded being defined by ##EQU4##.].
 7. A wrapper in accordance with claim .[.6.]. .Iadd.37.Iaddend.,wherein said sheet width (K) is defined by the equation K=P/2±5% and,further.Iadd., wherein said narrow strip areas comprise selvage areas,.Iaddend.wherein said sheet includes an additional strip between each ofsaid selvage areas and a side edge of said sheet, each additional striphaving a width (C) defined by the equation C=P/4-M/2.
 8. A wrapper inaccordance with claim 7, wherein said additional strip includes aplurality of triangular recesses and triangular sections, wherein saidwidth (C) is measured to the peak of each of said sections.
 9. A wrapperin accordance with claim 8, wherein said sheet includes a plurality ofrounded corners.
 10. A wrapper in accordance with claim .[.1.]..Iadd.37.Iaddend., wherein each of the .[.folded areas.]. .Iadd.folds.Iaddend.are substantially equal, .[.each folded area comprising alarger section of width A and a smaller section of width B,.]. saidwrapper being adapted to cover an article in the form of a solidcylinder of revolution having a diameter D and a height H, wherein thesheet width K=D+H±5%, the sheet length L=3.14D(1+alpha), .[.wherein0.2<alpha<0.6,.]. wherein D/10<A<D/4, .[.A/3<B<5A/6,M=2B×D/A+B+H±5%.]..Iadd.M=2B×D/CA+B)+H±5% .Iaddend., and C=1/2(D+H-M), where .[.M is thedistance between said two strips, and.]. C is the width of a portion ofsaid sheet between a side edge of said sheet and one of said.[.strips.]. .Iadd.narrow strip areas.Iaddend..
 11. A wrapper inaccordance with claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37 .Iaddend.wherein each of said.[.strips.]. .Iadd.strip areas .Iaddend.has a width which is less than5% of the sheet width .[.K.]. (.Iadd.K).Iaddend..
 12. A wrapper inaccordance with claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37 .Iaddend.wherein said folds areattached to each other by thermally-activated glue attached to saidsheet prior to formation of said folds.
 13. A wrapper in accordance withclaim 12 wherein said folds are attached to each other by heat andpressure when the folds are formed.
 14. A wrapper in accordance withclaim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37.Iaddend., wherein said sheet has a front surfaceand a rear surface, and wherein said .[.strips.]. .Iadd.strip areas.Iaddend.are located along both of said surfaces.
 15. A wrapper inaccordance with claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37.Iaddend., wherein said wrapper isformed from a material which, when subjected to heat and pressure, willattach the folds to each other along both of said .[.strips.]..Iadd.strip areas.Iaddend..
 6. A wrapper in accordance with claim 15,wherein said folds are attached to each other only along said.[.strips.]. .Iadd.strip areas.Iaddend.. A wrapper in accordance withclaim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37 .Iaddend.which comprises a thin paper sheet,wherein said .[.folded areas.]. .Iadd.folds .Iaddend.are attached toeach other by a plastic film along said .[.strips.]. .Iadd.stripareas.Iaddend..
 18. A wrapper in accordance with claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.37.Iaddend.wherein said sheet comprises a thin, flexible plastic film. 19.A wrapper in accordance with claim 18 comprising a single film sheet.20. A wrapper in accordance with claim 18 comprising a plurality oflaminated sheets.
 21. A wrapper in accordance with claim .[.1.]..Iadd.37 .Iaddend.comprising a plurality of sheets on a continuous rollof said material.
 22. A wrapper in accordance with claim 21, whereineach sheet includes a plurality of folds and a non-folded portion, saidnon-folded portion comprising means for facilitating separation ofadjacent sheets from said roll. .[.23. A method of wrapping an articlehaving a predetermined shape with a substantially rectangular wrapperhaving a predetermined shape with a substantially rectangular wrapperhaving a predetermined length, a predetermined width, opposing endportions and opposing side edges, and a plurality of folded portionsarranged substantially parallel to said width and overlapping each otherin a lengthwise staggered, pleated fashion, said folded portions beingadhered to each other along substantially parallel, spaced longitudinaladhesive strip areas substantially perpendicularly arranged with respectto said folded areas, said method comprising:(a) placing one of said endportions of said wrapper into abutment with a peripheral portion of saidarticle, with said wrapper being substantially flat; (b) pulling theopposite one of said ends of said wrapper about the periphery of saidarticle such that said plurality of folds between said strip areas atleast partially unfold to allow said wrapper to encompass the peripheryof said article, whereas portions of said wrapper adjacent said stripareas and said side edges tend to move together, respectively, to causesaid portions to fold over and under said article to substantiallyenclose said article..].
 24. The method of wrapping an article inaccordance with claim .[.23.]. .Iadd.38.Iaddend., wherein said articleis a food product and said method is a method of wrapping said foodproduct.
 25. The method of wrapping an article in accordance with claim.[.24.]. .Iadd.38.Iaddend., wherein said food product is a sandwich andsaid method is a method of wrapping said sandwich. .[.26. A sandwichwrapper formed from a thin, substantially rectangular sheet havingopposed first and second ends defining a length between them and opposedfirst and second sides, said sheet comprising a plurality of lengthwisestaggered, overlapping folds arranged in pleated fashion, said foldsextending generally parallel to said ends and being attached to eachother by substantially narrow adhesive strip areas arrangedsubstantially parallel to each other and to said first and second sidesand substantially perpendicularly with respect to said folds, saidwrapper, including said strip areas, being dimensioned and configuredrelative to said sandwich such that upon holding one of said ends ofsaid wrapper against said sandwich and pulling the opposite one of saidends of said wrapper about the periphery of said sandwich, saidplurality of folds between said strip areas at least partially unfold toallow said wrapper to encompass the periphery of said sandwich, whereasportions of said wrapper adjacent said strip areas and said side edgetend to move together, respectively, to cause said portions to fold overand under said sandwich to substantially enclose said sandwich..]..[.27. A wrapper in accordance with claim 26, wherein each of said stripareas is spaced from a respective one of said sides by an edge area of apredetermined distance..]. .[.28. A wrapper in accordance with claim 27wherein each of said folds comprises a first, relatively wide section ofwidth A and a second, relatively narrow section of width B..]. .[.29. Awrapper in accordance with claim 27 wherein all of the corners of saidsheet are rounded..]. .[.30. A wrapper in accordance with claim 27wherein each of said edge areas has a constant width..]. .[.
 1. Awrapper in accordance with claim 30, wherein said strip areas extendalong only a portion of said sheet sides..]. .[.32. A wrapper inaccordance with claim 27, wherein said wrapper is wrapped about asubstantially cylindrical hamburger sandwich having a height H and adiameter D..]. .[.33. A wrapper in accordance with claim 32 wherein saidsheet has a width K=D+H±5% and a length L=3.14(1+alpha), where alpha isan optimum sandwich covering coefficient between 0.2 and 0.6..]. .[.34.A wrapper in accordance with claim 32 wherein each of said foldscomprises a wide section of width A and a relatively narrow section ofwidth B, wherein D4>A>D/10,5/6A>B>A/3, and the length of the sheet, whenfolded, is defined by L'=N(A-B), where N is the number of folds in thesheet..]. .[.35. A wrapper in accordance with claim 32 wherein thedistance between the adhesive areas is defined by M=2B×D/A+B+H±5%..]..[.36. A wrapper in accordance with claim 26 further comprising aplurality of spaced triangular portions adjacent said sheet sides whichare adapted to overlap each other when said wrapper is wrapped about afood article..]. .Iadd.37. A wrapper adapted to be positioned about andwrap a solid article having a convex shape, said article having acentral axis passing through the geometric center of said solid, whereintwo intersecting planes extend through said article and include saidaxis, wherein said wrapper comprises a thin, flexible substantiallyrectangular sheet having a predetermined sheet width (K) and apredetermined sheet length (L), said sheet comprising twolengthwise-extending opposing side edges and first and second opposingends, said sheet further being folded into a plurality of folds whichextend substantially parallel to said width, wherein adjacent folds arepositioned on top of and overlap each other in a lengthwise, staggeredmanner and are adhesively attached to each other along twolengthwise-extending narrow strip areas separated by a distance Mlocated, respectively, proximate said two side edges of said sheet toform a pleated wrapper, said wrapper, including said strip areas, beingdimensioned and configured relative to said article such that uponholding one of said ends of said wrapper against said article andpulling the opposite one of said ends of said wrapper about theperiphery of said article, said plurality of folds between said stripareas at least partially unfold to allow said wrapper to encompass theperiphery of said article, whereas portions of said wrapper adjacentsaid strip areas and said side edges tend to move together,respectively, to cause said portions to fold over and under said articleto substantially enclose said article wherein each fold comprises alarger section of width A and a smaller section of width B connected toand folded relative to the larger section;wherein A, B and M are definedby (R/31.4<A<(R/12.6), (A/3<B<(5A/6), and M=(P/2)-L'/3.14*(1+alpha)+/-5%;wherein P is a length of a closed curve formed by theintersection of a first of said planes and a first arcuate surface ofsaid article; R is a length of a closed curve formed by the intersectionof a second of said planes and a second arcuate surface of said article,said second plane being substantially perpendicular to said first plane;L' is the length of the pleated wrapper; and alpha has a value between0.2 and 0.6. .Iaddend. .Iadd.38. A method of wrapping an article havinga predetermined shape with a substantially rectangular wrapper saidarticle having a geometric center and central axis passing through saidgeometric center with two intersecting planes extending through saidarticle and including said central axis, said wrapper having apredetermined length, a predetermined width, opposing end portions andopposing side edges, and a plurality of folded portions arrangedsubstantially parallel to said width and overlapping each other in alengthwise staggered, pleated fashion, said folded portions beingadhered to each other along substantially parallel spaced longitudinaladhesive strip areas substantially perpendicularly arranged with respectto said folded areas and separated by a distance M, wherein each foldcomprises a larger section of width A and a smaller section of width Bconnected to and folded relative to the larger section; wherein A, B andM are defined by (R/31.4)<A<(R/2.6), and (A/3)<B<(5A/6), andM=(P/2)-L'/3.14* (1+alpha)+/-5%;wherein P is a length of a closed curveformed by the intersection of a first of said planes and a first arcuatesurface of said article; R is a length of a closed curve formed by theintersection of a second of said planes and a second arcuate surface ofsaid article, said second plane being substantially perpendicular tosaid first plane; L' is the length of the pleated wrapper; and alpha hasa value between 0.2 and 0.6 (a) placing one said end portions of saidwrapper into abutment with a peripheral portion of said article, withsaid wrapper being substantially flat; (b) pulling the opposite one ofsaid ends of said wrapper about the periphery of said article such thatsaid plurality of folds between said strip areas at least partiallyunfold to allow said wrapper to encompass the periphery of said article,whereas portions of said wrapper adjacent said strip areas and said sideedges tend to move together, respectively, to cause said portions tofold over and under said article to substantially enclose saidarticle..Iaddend.